Plaguing the Forsaken
by EverTheDreamer
Summary: The crusader emitted pained screams, looking up at her and speaking to her in a long-forgotten tongue, pleading for mercy. Vanzora looked down in disgust, "Don't beg. It's unbecoming. Meet your fate head-on. I did."


Vanzora rolled her eyes, turning to her voidwalker as it looked on, "Yes, Maknak; I see the sickening display of affection."

The pair were almost perfectly matched, both cynical in their outlooks and sharing a hatred for the chipper, over-excited, pink raptor they traveled with.

"Yes, Lolly! You did such a good job!" Kelanchaning encouraged, tossing the haunch of a worg to her raptor. She idly patted his head as he chewed happily on the meat.

"I, too, tire of the troll's indulgence in the overgrown lizard," the forsaken warlock soothed, rifling through her bag and pulling out a pink gem, containing her latest victim's soul. She mumbled a few words, the shard glowing a bright pink before reshaping itself into a glowing green gem. "Do you mean to rest now, troll?"

"For a short moment," the hunter answered, preparing to toss the raptor the meaty ribs of a recently felled beast. "Just so Lolly can eat. It shouldn't take long."

"Of course; let's halt all movement so the lizard can fill the _bottomless pit_ that comprises its stomach. By all means!" Vanzora flexed her long-dead fingers, dry, cracked skin peeling from her knuckles. "Let us ignore the town we were due to reach over a day ago."

"It's not my fault we've been besieged at every turn," Kelanchaning answered calmly.

"It's your fault your overgrown lizard seeks them out in its desire to play and feed!" she shot back, growling in anger.

The hunter crouched suddenly, her ears perked as she glances around. "Shh, something approaches."

"Where's the lizard? Playing again?" the warlock asked dryly.

"Lolly," the troll called, turning her head to the left and motioning for the raptor to follow her. "Come with mommy." The bright pink raptor swallowed the meat and the bone it was attached to before creeping forward as per instruction. "It approaches quickly. Be on your guard."

"It's likely just more Scourge. Nothing too terrifying."

"Bloosum!"

"Oh, even better," Vanzora sighed bitterly, fingering the remaining pointed cartilage of her ear as a large tauren hunter rode up. She turned to her voidwalker, "It's the cow."

"Lurve!" Kelanchaning squealed, jumping out of her crouched position and hugging the other hunter as he slid off his saddle. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist, hugging her warmly as she fisted her fingers in his fur.

"Yes, Maknak," the forsaken nodded. "I, too, am glad that my organs can no longer respond unfavorably and force me to vomit up the remains of that last crusader; no doubt this 'tender' reunion would make me retch."

Danferio whistled, summoning his animal companion as Lolly nudged his mother pointedly before nudging her bag. "Oh, are you feeding him? Could he share with Croccy?"

The troll pulled out an extra slab of meat, tossing one to her own pet and one to that of her mate.

"We'll never make it to town," Vanzora sighed.

* * *

The warlock nodded at her voidwalker, beginning to summon her dreadsteed. Yes, kills occasionally took longer, but the overall haste with which she was able to move- mostly undetected though the night with her sole companion, Maknak- made the change to travel alone a wise one. "Onward. To Hearthglen."

Her fingers stopped their movement, she turning immediately and searching as an arrow whizzed by her, nearly catching on her robes. "Maknak, go. Another of the Scarlet Crusade wishes to join the night, it seems." Her minion obediently set off in the direction of the arrow, she beginning to cast spells. With a final gesture, she pointed in the direction her voidwalker had disappeared in, fire soaring over the dead bodies surrounding her and flying into her newest victim. She heard a scream as her spell worked, burning the crusader from within, and hurried forward to find him.

"Enough, Maknak," she instructed, the voidwalker ceasing its attacks. "We'll watch him die slowly and painfully."

The crusader emitted pained screams, looking up at her and speaking to her in a long-forgotten tongue, pleading for mercy.

Vanzora looked down in disgust, already beginning to summon her dreadsteed, Naurramma, again. "Don't _beg_. It's unbecoming. Meet your fate head-on. I did." She climbed onto the demon-horse, flicking the reigns and trotting forward again.

* * *

The warlock growled as another kaldorei druid attacked her as she attempted to move through Andorhal. Her dark lips pursed in irritation as it phased into a cat to leap at her before shifting into a bear mid-leap.

She waggled her dead fingers, shooting a bolt of shadow magic at the flying bear before grinning wickedly as the bear fell short of her, running around in a panic.

Closing her eyes, she muttered softly before glaring at the bear as it began its charge again, fire flying towards it and burning him from the inside out. She pointed again, sending a curse of exhaustion at the foolish druid before shrieking as she was hit with fire from behind.

Zigpit danced behind her, shrugging a half-apology before wiggling his demonic little fingers again.

"_Hit me again and you'll die a painful death before being sent back to the twisting Nether_."

He laughed gleefully, sending a firebolt at the bear instead, letting her return her focus. She set out another series of spells – a bane and several shadow bolts before draining the life of the twitching bear.

It transformed back into a night elf when it died, she crouching beside the body.

"Another of the Cenarion Circle. … Not too big a loss, though I wish they'd stop taking me for a member of the _Scourge,_" she seethed.

Zigpit moved, twitching in his odd little dance he so often did, "Mistress doesn't _enjoy_ that?"

She glared down at him, "You know damn well I don't. And if you hit me again during battle, enslavement will be the _least_ of your worries. I'll bring you back just kill you again, you sniveling little bastard."

"Oh, Mistress, Zigpit would _never_ attack you. Zigpit miscalculated and hit Mistress by mistake," he swore.

She kicked him hard, "_That's_ for lying." She looked back to the corpse, quickly looting the druid and standing.

"Is Mistress feeling a _pang_ for her old life?" Zigpit cackled, "Zigpit is sure the Cenarion Circle would welcome a _Forsaken _druid into their ranks."

She glared, ignoring the night elf's resemblance to he- _no_. Not hers, the bastard. To Frasce.

"_No_. I'm contemplating how best to _torture_ you into obedience," she threatened, the imp falling silent as she began summoning Naurramma. "... I don't know _why_ I keep you around. You're not any good. Damn pain in my ass."

"Mistress' ass has decomposed. She has only a tail bone now," Zigpit couldn't help but remind.

She growled, sending several spells in the imp's direction before mounting her dreadsteed. "I'll summon you when I think you can be _useful_. Until then, _suffer_ in the twisting Nether."

* * *

She let out a small breath, morphing into a panther of a deep purple, her markings glowing a green-purple on her strong shoulder. Fading into the shadows, she crouched into an attack stance.

"Very good," Frasce appraised, smiling before transforming into a bear the color of the moonless sky. His teeth were still bared in the same smile he'd been wearing only- in his imposing dire-bear form- now it was intimidating instead of proud. "Now attack," the command was growled but she understood.

Letting out another breath before poking at the ground with her muzzle, she whined, "I _can't_. I'm not a _warrior_, Frasce; you know this. I'm a _healer_."

"Van, if the Betrayer speaks the truth, we must all of us be ready to fight. We must be able to switch from defender to-" he morphed, his shape changing until he'd become a panther darker than midnight, "-to fighter to-" He morphed again, into an owlkin of a deep purple, large antlers extending into the sky, "-sage to-" This time he morphed into the form she was most comfortable in: a magnificent treant, "-healer at a moment's notice. And we must be more than proficient at each. Do not make me regret training you as an equal member in this grove."

"Yes, Frasce," she bowed her head, the tip of her muzzle brushing against one of her awkwardly large paws.

He transitioned seamlessly back into the intimidating bear, "Now: attack!"

Vanzora sprang, her powerful back legs launching her into the air impressively.

… Unfortunately, she miscalculated- thoroughly unaccustomed to the muscles of so powerful a beast- and ended up in the lake some fifteen feet behind her partner and tutor. Skilled at this at least, she transformed into a sea lion the moment she was submerged, quickly swimming back to the surface.

Back in his strong, kaldorei form, Frasce perched by the edge of the water, "Perhaps we should have started with something less agile."


End file.
